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Can We Finally Bring The Mayfield Madness To An End?
Nov 3rd, 2011 by T.C.

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Over the last couple of years, there has been quite a bit of discussion on this website about Jeremy Mayfield’s situation.  The failed NASCAR drug tests and the subsequent lawsuits have been the topic of more than a few TNI blog posts.  And those posts attracted dozens of reader comments with some being good, some bad, and some ugly.  But now, with knowing what we know today, I’m wondering how many out there have changed their view of Mayfield and his predicament.  And can we finally say definitively that Mayfield has a problem?

From the very start, Mayfield has contended that he is innocent and his failed tests were caused by a mixture of medications.  The science of his argument never really added up, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to fight anyway.  Mayfield’s pursuit eventually spawned a lawsuit against NASCAR.  Years of litigation and ridiculous accusations aimed at the sport and it’s brass ensued.

At one point in the not too distance past, Mayfield literally had it all.  He was a young, attractive, rich, and talented race car driver with a boundless future in front of him.  Now, he faces a very difficult road.  Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but Mayfield is in serious trouble here.  From the news reports there appears to be quite a bit of evidence against him, not only for the drugs, but for theft as well.  He is most likely facing some sort of jail sentence.

Jeremy Mayfield, welcome to rock bottom.

At the end of the day, I’m only left feeling bad for Mayfield and his family.  The guy clearly has problems and needs real help.  And what’s worse, is that all of this could have been avoided.  There were plenty of opportunities for him to make things right along the way, but he just wouldn’t give it up.  So instead of admitting he has what appears to be a serious drug problem, getting help, and working to get reinstated by NASCAR, Mayfield chose to continue propagating the lie.  I hope it was worth it.

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A Season of Lawsuits
Dec 10th, 2010 by Journo

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I’ve written here before about my affection for lawsuits – and so long as your not involved, who doesn’t? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t enjoy the prolonged nature of them, or all the ill-will they no doubt create – and as I said, I don’t want to be involved. But the information that they generally dispense is wonderful!

Want to know how much a mid-level Cup crew chief makes? There’s a lawsuit for that. Want to know how little money the sport’s back markers will take from sponsors? There’s a lawsuit for that. Want to know the questionable stuff one of the sport’s safety manufacturers is up to? Guess what? There’s a lawsuit for that.

This season has had no shortage of those lawsuits and the interesting insights they provide.

Robby Gordon v. Extenze:

I’ll call this Extenze lawsuit number two. We’ll get to number one in just a moment. After losing his ride at Front Row Motorsports at Michigan (something we told you first), Kevin Conway and his sponsor Extenze found a new home at Robby Gordon Motorsports. Conway ran seven races for RGM, finishing no better than 30th. Thanks to lackluster performance, Gordon had to step-in to keep the car in that very valuable top-35 position in owner points. Robby says he got the greenlight from Extenze to replace Conway – they claim otherwise. Robby is now suing Extenze’s parent company for $690,000.

This one’s interesting for it’s contract specifics. $230,000 to sponsor a car for one race. That’s not much. And we saw what that gets you at RGM – a start and park ride.

Front Row Motorsports v. Extenze/Kevin Conway

This is Extenze lawsuit number one. And tack Kevin Conway onto this one. Front Row Motorsports sued Extenze parent company Biotab and Conway for $2.754 million shortly after the team booted them out the door. They allege non-payment on part of Biotab and Conway’s $5.4 million, 15 race deal.

The most surprising part of this one is that Conway was getting paid $540,000 plus 10% of any sponsorships he brought in. Oh and if you’re curious, Front Row did slightly better than RGM, pulling in $360,000 per race for those first 15 races – still though, not much.

Scott Speed v. Red Bull Racing

We don’t know a whole lot about this one yet, but it’ll be interesting if/and when it becomes available. Speed was released by Red Bull Racing shortly after the end of the season, a move that everyone has been expecting – Speed may or may not have been aware. After a seven and a half year relationship Speed said he was fired through fax – a move that did not sit well with him. It’s not exactly clear what Speed wants out of the deal – money or a ride, maybe both – but I’d assume we’ll find out soon.

Jeremy Mayfield v. NASCAR

Did anyone watch Lamb Chop as a child? They had the song that never ends, and NASCAR has the lawsuit that never ends (at least it feels that way).

Judge Graham Mullen dismissed Jeremy Mayfield’s suspension related lawsuit against NASCAR in May, but Mayfield has fought on. In an October request asking Judge Mullen to reconsider his ruling, Mayfield made claims NASCAR Chairman Brian France had a vendetta against him. He cites an incident in 2006, where France supposedly made a drunken phone call from California to the tower at the Brickyard 400 demanding Mayfield be black flagged. NASCAR says France was in Orlando at that time, and Mayfield’s team owner, Ray Evernham, says he was the one who called Mayfield in, a story corroborated by crew chief Chris Andrews.

As this lawsuit seeps into another year, I think I speak for many when I say I can’t wait for this to be over.

NASCAR v. Access Marketing & Communications

Add the Drive For Diversity program, an outside marketing agency, and apparently some bad record keeping and you’ve got yourself a good, old-fashioned dispute.

In March NASCAR filed suit against Access Marketing & Communications as it sought to determine how much it owed the company. NASCAR alleges it owes nothing, while company owner Greg Calhoun says he is owed “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The interesting thing with this one is the disclosure that NASCAR spent in the neighborhood $2 million a year administering the D4D program. That’s a lot of coin – and there hasn’t been much to show for it. Kind of makes you wonder what’s being spent on the current effort with Max Siegel.

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Ask The Insiders Wednesday #86
Aug 4th, 2010 by T.C.

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Road racing returns this weekend as the Cup and NNS cars head up to Watkins Glen.  While they are turning left and right, and doing backwards pit stops, the truck series takes on the Nashville Superspeedway.  As we work through another week, here are more reader questions and answers.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Garry:

How often do you AND your driver practice the exact routine of the car pulling in and out of the pit stall? How many times does it take to be perfect? When you are working with a new driver or at a tougher track (like Bristol) do they allow you extra time to practice a lot? Is it true that “pit mates” (drivers in ajoining pit stalls) try to coordinate their stops, to stay out of each other’s way? It seems so many things can go wrong. Do you have any good stories about bad blood rivals who are battling and then winding up next to each other? ( e.g if Horse face and lil Brad wound up next to each other. It might make things interesting)

You won’t find most drivers at the shop driving the pit stop car for practice.  Some teams will use their development drivers or just a shop guy to do the driving.  Once most guys get to a certain point in their career, practicing getting into and out of the pit stall just isn’t necessary I guess.  And the only real example of a track that sticks out where we might do some extra practice is for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen because the pit stops are backwards.  Other then that, the rest of the tracks get the same amount of prep usually.  In terms of pit road neighbors, you try as much as you can to coordinate stops, but often it just isn’t possible.  The hope is that the guys around you are either on a different lap or fall out early, so your driver has a clean path in and out.  And there are plenty of times where teams end up pitting next to each other and things get ugly.  There have been instances where crew members have thrown lugnuts and other objects at an opposing driver as they come by, pit boards have been hit by drivers, there have been plenty of shoving matches, and there is always going to be a ton of yelling when things go south. – T.C.

2. From Bill:

Why not let the cars that make the chase all race together and have another race for the other cars. Nascar asks the other cars to move over and not race the chase cars. This makes for poor racing and the other cars cannot win.

I’m not really sure what the question is here, but NASCAR doesn’t ask other cars to roll over for the Chasers. In fact Jamie McMurray, a non-chaser, won the race at Talladega during the Chase last season. – Journo

3. From Michael:

Regarding Tool sponsorship. Mac, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. Are the tools given to the teams, discounted, or on loan? Or is each team contract different with each vendor?

The contracts can be different, but for the big teams, when the team itself needs tools, they are usually given or highly discounted.  Remember though, the guys who work in the shop use their own tools and must pay for all of their own equipment.  With the shop guys, they are usually given a discount, but nothing is free. – T.C.

4. From Marty:

After watching the wide array of tire strategies at Pocono I offer you this question… Has anyone ever taken 3 tires in a pit stop? How about just 1 tire?

Not that I’ve ever heard of.  Getting one tire takes the same amount of time as it does to get two, as does the time for three versus four.  So it wouldn’t really make sense.  Plus, it would give the car really odd handling characteristics to have grip at one corner, but not the others. - T.C.

5. From Jackie:

On Sunday’s race, I noticed that start and park teams would come in and then go back out on the track – Why? Do they not want to be listed as last or are they trying to better their position? At what point in the race do the start and park teams say enough is enough and call it a race?

Most are trying to just be able to finish a little better.  Remember most don’t have pit crews, so if they are going to run longer then a tire/fuel run, they’ve got to do something to change tires and add fuel.  A few minutes in the garage can do the trick.  And the agendas will vary by team.  Some of the bare bones operations will just run a few laps because they are fine with last place money.  Others might be attempting to make more money, and score more points, so they may stay out longer. – T.C.

6. From Debbie:

While watching the Pocono race a driver, I want to say Denny Hamlin, but don’t quote me on that, said his tires were over rotating. How can that be and what does that mean? Thanks!

I’ve never heard a driver say his tires were over-rotating.  I have heard them say that about their car though.  If a car is over rotating, it just means it’s loose in the corners. – T.C.

7. From Kevin:

First off, the 48 dumped the 2. Everybody who has ever watched a race with bump drafting knows you dont do it unless your wheels are straight. The 48 was turning left the entire time and clearly turned the 2. No question about it. Kurt should have gone and kicked some ass. I am sure he will in coming weeks. Secondly, how great was the racing at the end of the race? For about 20-40 laps there we saw some of the best racing of the season. All through the pack. I am so tired of the people complaining, if they didn’t like the racing right after the rain stoppage then they should just quit watching, b/c it won’t get much better. Finally, do you think the recent success of two tire stops is due to the flat nature of the last two tracks? I imagine someone taking two tires at say, Vegas, will suffer a lot more due to the speed all the way around the track. I do enjoy the mixing of strategies though.

To your first point, I don’t think Jimmie dumped him, I think Jimmie got sloppy and made a poor decision. To your second point, I couldn’t agree more. I think we have had stellar racing this season. And to your last point, the two tire strategy works when everything comes together right. Certainly tire wear is a factor, but how many laps are left, who took four versus two, and how many all  play a role. It has played a role the last two weeks. – Journo

8. From steve:

Any idea what was going on with Brian Pattie and Montoya, especially Pattie’s barb that Montoya needs to come to Charlotte to practice pit stops? How redfaced do you think ESPN is that they had zero cameras on Sadler? But for his crash sneaking into the Busch coverage, they would have had nothing at all on one of the worst wrecks in NASCAR this year.

Montoya screwed something up, and they had a 17 second stop (I would imagine he messed up getting into the box), so Pattie called him out. Montoya was then upset that Pattie called him out, and he was upset about losing track position because they got four tires. JPM is notorious for his ability to express his feelings. To your second question, I think it’s the nature of the beast. This sort of thing is the nightmare of every sports television director – missing that key play (or in this case a wreck) because they didn’t have a camera – but it happens because you just can’t have cameras everywhere. I’d be willing to bet there have been some serious discussions this week about how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. – Journo

9. From Lost in Texas:

Anything new in the Jeremy Mayfield case?

I haven’t heard anything new. The last I heard was that Mayfield’s legal team had asked Judge Mullen to reconsider his ruling, a formal step before they can appeal to the 4th Circuit Court. – Journo

10. From Kipp:

T.C.- This is a great outlet and source of information and discussion. Thank you for you and Journo’s efforts. With the recent fine given to Denny Hamlin, have you worried any about potential fines or punishment coming from NASCAR for operating on this forum?

Thanks Kipp!  Glad you are enjoying what we do.  And no, neither myself nor Journo is worried in any way about being fined or punished by NASCAR.  We operate a very fair website, and if they ever took exception to something we wrote, all it would take is a simple request, and they could post a rebuttal here.  Also, I think it’s important to note that NASCAR didn’t fine somebody in the press, it was drivers.  If they did ever try and penalize a media member, it would come to light pretty quickly.  And, as our regular readers know, we’ve been very critical of NASCAR at times (see Tuesday’s blog post), and they have yet to even bother contacting us. – T.C.

11. From derek:

Why does a crew member use a propane torch to heat the tire up and then scrape it?

The crew guy is using the torch and the scraper to clean off any build up on the tires so the tire specialist can get an accurate reading of the tire’s tread depth after a run.  When a car is running around the track, especially under caution and heading to pit road, the hot tires will pick up rubber and all sorts of other things.  Cleaning them allows the teams to figure out how much rubber was actually worn off over the course of a run. – T.C.

12. From M. Sauter:

With the season winding down, and sponsors signing or leaving, when should Kahne fans begin to panic?Right now, he has no ride and no sponsor.

There isn’t a point you should start panicking. Kasey will be in a car next season. Where that’s at is still yet to be seen, but Kasey will absolutely be driving somewhere next season. Rick Hendrick didn’t sign Kasey to sideline him. Don’t worry! Everything will be worked out…eventually. – Journo

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

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Federal Judge Throws Out Jeremy Mayfield’s Suit Against NASCAR
May 18th, 2010 by FanHouse Newswire

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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- A U.S. District Judge has dismissed suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield's lawsuit against NASCAR.

Mayfield was suspended last May 9 for failing a random drug test. NASCAR later said the driver tested positive for methamphetamines, a claim Mayfield has consistently denied.

Judge Graham Mullen threw out the case Tuesday in Charlotte, saying that Mayfield had twice waived his right to pursue any claims against NASCAR when he signed documents both as a driver and as an owner to participate in the stock car series.

"Plaintiffs thereby waived their right to pursue their claims for defamation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, and negligence," Mullen wrote in his decision. "Plaintiffs' claims are hereby dismissed."

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a statement: "The U.S. District Court's ruling is a powerful acknowledgement and affirmation of NASCAR's rulebook and its ability to police the sport. NASCAR has been very clear with its competitors as to its policies and what is expected of them. NASCAR's comprehensive substance abuse policy, which is among the best and toughest in all of sports, serves the safety of our competitors and fans."

 

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The Best And Worst Of NASCAR In 2009
Nov 23rd, 2009 by Journo

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For those of you who follow us on Twitter, you know every Monday we do a ‘best and worst’ of the weekend tweet. With the 2009 season now in the bag, we thought it might be fun to bring it over to the blog and ask you to do your best and worst of the 2009 season.

2009 certainly wasn’t short of any interesting, and compelling story lines. Toward the end of 2008 and through the entire 2009 season the economy was on everyone’s mind. The troubled state of GM and Chrysler forced the manufacturers to make cuts in their NASCAR spending; several sponsors announced their intention to leave the sport; and perhaps most noticeably the stands at many tracks were far from capacity.

Despite the bad economy, 2009 saw the start-up of several teams. After being laid-off by Bill Davis Racing in the off season, Tommy Baldwin started his own team. Jeremy Mayfield, who had been out of a full time ride since 2005 also started a team. TRG Motorsports also began running a car full-time in the Cup Series.

From Carl Long to Jeremy Mayfield, NASCAR also had its fair share of controversy in 2009. Long was suspended and fined following the All-Star race after an inspection of his expired engine revealed it was too large. Jeremy Mayfield was indefinitely suspended May 9 after NASCAR said he failed a drug test. Mayfield contends the failed test was caused by a combination of Adderall and Claritin D. He sued NASCAR.

It wasn’t all bad though. Juan Pablo Montoya had a breakthrough season scoring seven top-fives, 18 top-10s, two poles and his first Chase berth. After running two part-time seasons in 2007 and 2008 Mark Martin joined Hendrick Motorsports full time and came back with a vengeance this season, winning five races and finishing second in the points.

We even had some promising prospects show what they were made of. In just his second full season, David Reutimann won his first race and came just short of making the chase. Marcos Ambrose also started to show his potential in just his first full time season. He scored four top-fives and seven top-tens finishing 18th in the points. No doubt they’ll both be teams to watch in 2010.

We also had a slew of first time winners with David Reutimann, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski all taking the checkered flag.

And how about Hendrick Motorsports? They had thirteen wins on the season and Jimmie Johnson did the unheard of, winning his fourth straight championship after seven wins, 16 top-fives, 24 top-tens and four poles. As a team they went 1-2-3 in the standings, the first time that has happened.

So now it’s your turn. What was your best and worst of 2009? Please remember to keep it clean (I know where you’re going to go with this) and treat others the way you want to be treated (if I see anything over the line it will be deleted).

The End Is Near
Nov 10th, 2009 by T.C.

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And then there were two.

Phoenix and Homestead are the only two remaining races before we put the 2009 season in the books.  And I’ve got to say, I’m a little bummed.

This time of year is always a little bitter sweet for me.  I know there are a ton of guys that look forward to off weekends during our short offseason, but I’m not really one of them.  Yeah, it will be nice to spend some time with friends and family this winter, and maybe get in a nice vacation (or two), but as soon as we leave Homestead I’m going to be counting the days until Daytona.  As I’ve said here before, I’m very fortunate to be doing what I love, and it’s a pleasure to head to the track each weekend.  There is nothing else I would rather be doing.

It has definitely been an interesting year, not only for my own team, but for our sport as a whole.  From brutal layoffs, to Jeremy Mayfield, the emergence of some young drivers, and Jimmie Johnson’s continued dominance have all made for intriguing story lines.  Who knows what 2010 will bring the world of NASCAR.

For those teams out there right now without sponsorship or who are unsure about the future, it can be a very uneasy time.  Many crew guys don’t know if they will have a job following Homestead and the Thanksgiving break.  There will certainly be more layoffs in the coming weeks.  Teams like the new RPM/Yates group, RCR, Roush, and many smaller teams including those in the Truck and Nationwide Series may have a tough couple of months ahead.  The last few races always bring the inevitable “so do you know what you are doing next year” conversations.  Some years that question is okay to answer, other years you’d rather not hear it.

I’ve still got two races left, but looking back over the year, I’ve got to say that I’m pretty happy with how things went.  I’m a better tire changer then I was when I started the season and my career continues to progress.  And a year always has to be looked upon as a success if you make it to every race!  I was able to work with a great group of people all year, and that always makes the race weekends even more fun.

When we head down to South Florida next weekend for the finale, you can be sure I will be both excited and disappointed.  I really enjoy going to the track at Homestead, as it is a great venue.  But knowing it’s our last hurrah for 2009 will be tough.  Hopefully the offseason goes by quickly though.

Before I end this post, I’m curious what your thoughts are as we close out 2009.  Are you bummed it’s over?  Or are you ready to forget ‘09 and hope 2010 gets here quick?  What will you now spend your weekends doing?  Will you have a countdown timer set for that first weekend in February?

Jeremy Mayfield: ‘I Was Worth More … As A Failed Drug Test’
Oct 23rd, 2009 by Motorsports FanHouse

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Holly Cainby Holly Cain

Filed under:

Jeremy MayfieldIn his first national one-on-one television interview, suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield continued to deny drug use and accused NASCAR of using him as a "a good pawn who wasn't going to cost them any money at all.''

Mayfield, who was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for testing positive in a pair of drug tests this May, made the assertions on ESPN's Outside the Lines show, which will air Sunday at 9 a.m., hours before the green flag drops for the Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville, Va.

It's been widely reported that the positive test revealed use of methamphetamine, something Mayfield has denied. He claims the tests were a "false positive," the result of his use of Adderall, a prescription drug for attention-hyperactivity disorder, combined with the common allergy medication, Claritin-D.

Jeremy Mayfield: 'I Was Worth More ... As A Failed Drug Test' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Mayfield Is In It Up To His Neck
Jun 19th, 2009 by Journo

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As I sat here this evening trying to decide what I was going to write about I couldn’t help but think of the almost daily bad news coming down on Jeremy Mayfield. Now I’m not going to talk about his guilt or innocence here. It is frankly irrelevant to the post. But I thought it might be interesting to look at what Mayfield is now facing.

On May 9 Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for failing a drug test administered to him at Richmond. NASCAR refused to name the drug/s Mayfield tested positive for.

As the week progressed Mayfield claimed he failed the test over a mixture of Claritin-D and a prescription drug. NASCAR drug test administrator Dr. David Black of Aegis Sciences Corporation said that was impossible.

Fast forward, Mayfield and attorney Bill Diehl filed suit against NASCAR seeking among other things a temporary restraining order that would allow Mayfield to compete. A Mecklenburg County judge heard the case May 29. He denied Mayfield’s request. During the hearing we learned the driver was taking Adderall for ADHD and Claritin-D. According to NASCAR there was a third drug they did not name. Mayfield’s attorneys did not submit the toxicology report.

Prior to bringing the case before a Mecklenburg County judge the following week NASCAR requested the case be moved to Federal Court. The request was granted.

On June 5, NASCAR countersued Mayfield in Federal Court claiming willful violation of the substance abuse policy, breach of contract, and defrauding competitors of earnings. The suit claims Mayfield failed to notify Dr. David Black of his change in prescriptions in accordance with the drug policy and also that he defrauded his fellow competitors of $150,000.

ESPN the Magazine’s Ryan McGee, reported on June 9 that he had confirmed with two independent sources that the illegal drug Mayfield tested positive for was Methamphetamine. This allegedly was the third drug that showed up on Mayfield’s failed test.

This week chassis and engine builder Triad Racing Technologies filed suit in North Carolina Superior Court against Jeremy Mayfield Motorsports for $86,000. They claim they were not paid for parts and services rendered.

On top of this, NASCAR filed a motion in federal court on Tuesday alleging the expert witness used in Mayfield’s lawsuit lied about his credentials. Among other things NASCAR claims Dr. Harvey MacFenerstein did not have medical degrees or certifications he claimed to have. MacFenerstein claims he told Mayfield attorney John Buric the qualifications listed in the affidavit were incorrect and Buric assured him they would be corrected. NASCAR is asking for reimbursement in defending itself against Mayfield, that MacFenerstein’s testimony be dismissed, and that Mayfield’s attorney’s be sanctioned for failing to conduct a reasonable inquiry into MacFenerstein’s credentials.

Now I’m no legal expert, but I think it’s fair to say Mayfield is in it up to his neck. He has one lawsuit against NASCAR (which looks now to be on very shaky legs) and two separate lawsuits against him. Not to mention Mayfield’s means for making money has been cut off. On top of this he is financing a legal team headed by Bill Diehl which I can tell you is not cheap.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and I’m guessing Mayfield is beginning to wish he hadn’t taken on NASCAR. This is a company that has its own legal department with half a dozen+ attorneys. On top of their own team working on this they have Winston-Salem attorney Paul Hendrick and his team. Also working in NASCAR’s favor is their unendingly deep pockets. They can afford to drag this case and their own case out for months. I highly doubt Mayfield can.

Long story short, I’m glad I’m not Jeremy Mayfield.

In NASCAR, Perception Isn’t Always Reality
Jun 12th, 2009 by T.C.

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People.

Just like any other sport on this planet, the basis of NASCAR is the people involved.  The only real difference between NASCAR and other sports being the means in which the competition happens.  In one, it’s guys chasing around a while ball trying to hit it the fewest times possible.  In another it’s about putting a frozen piece of rubber into a net more times then the other team.  And in NASCAR it’s guys duking it out for several hundred miles, behind the wheel of 3,400 lb stock cars, to see who is the fastest.

When you turn on your TV each week and tune in to watch a race, you are given a small glimpse into the lives of some of these people.  You watch how they perform on the track, how they perform in the pits, and what they do and say when they have a camera and microphone in their face.  And from watching these things, you form an opinion about what kind of person each individual is.

For example, you know that Jimmie Johnson is a great driver, but he’s “kinda vanilla.”

And, you know that Kyle Busch is also a great driver, but he is anything but vanilla.

But if you were being honest with yourself, do you really KNOW these things about these guys?

Unless you are best friends with them, of course you don’t.

This idea of reality vs. perception is not a new topic, but it is an underlying theme in a lot of the current hot button issues in our sport.  Whether we are talking about Jeremy Mayfield, Carl Long, Dale Jr., or Kyle Busch.

There was a piece written by Matt McLaughlin that appeared on the website “The Frontstretch” on Tuesday this week about NASCAR’s new Citizen Journalist Corps.  In it, McLaughlin offered up some advice that was given to him early in his journalistic career that caught my attention.  Here is an excerpt:

[My boss] told me something that was going to stick with me for life. He told me that the more access I got to the garage area, the more I learned about the people who ran the sport and the people who made up the sport, the less I was going to like it. You look behind the curtain and you risk learning that the wizards are only mortal men. I was naive then, I never thought it could happen. It did.

I thought this was interesting because McLaughlin was being warned about his preconceived notions of the sport and the people involved.  Like many others, he had this grandiose picture in his mind about the way things were, and he was about to find out that this picture was actually quite different.  And apparently, he didn’t like that.

But where he was disappointed to find out that the “wizards” were actually “mortal men,” I personally was amazed. 

Having been a long time race fan before I got involved in the sport, I had my own perception of the way people were.  But the deeper I got, and the more I learned about the actual people involved, the more I loved NASCAR. 

I found out that some drivers I didn’t really like on TV, I actually really liked in person; and vice versa.  And discovering that the stars in the garage and on pit road were just regular people doing amazing things made me respect them even more.

Being active on Twitter has allowed us to have some great conversations with folks about a lot of topics.  This week, I took the opportunity to find out what some people thought about the ongoing Jeremy Mayfield/positive drug test saga.  I wanted to know why it seemed so many people were quickly jumping up to defend Mayfield.  I didn’t understand why a positive drug test wasn’t enough evidence to believe Mayfield did wrong.  The most common response I got was “he’s not that kind of guy.”  Oh really?  How do you know?

These folks have a certain view of Mayfield that they have built up over the years watching him race.  They believe they know what kind of person he is because they’ve seen him compete and be interviewed on TV, or maybe they’ve met him briefly in public.

What they fail to realize is, the face these drivers put up and the responses given to reporters are often carefully crafted by the PR and marketing people behind the scenes.  You are usually seeing the driver how they want you to see him.

So in the cases of both Jeremy Mayfield and Carl Long, the perception is that the big bully (NASCAR) is picking on the defenseless little guy (Mayfield & Long).  And many people are eating it up.

The point I’m trying to make here is, don’t let outward appearances fool you into thinking these guys are anything more then regular people.  Drivers, crew chiefs, tire changers, owners, whoever.  They are all just normal guys who happen to do something special (and some get paid very well).  They have problems and make mistakes just like everyone else.

But instead of letting that fact ruin your view of your favorite driver, or NASCAR as a whole, embrace it!  Understanding that these people are real humans should make the sport more endearing.  Instead of watching mythical beings at work, wouldn’t you much rather watch common men doing uncommon things?  I know I would.

Report: Meth Triggered Mayfield Ban
Jun 9th, 2009 by Motorsports FanHouse

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Bruce Ciskieby Bruce Ciskie

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The ongoing fight between Sprint Cup Series driver Jeremy Mayfield and NASCAR over his drug suspension has spilled into lawsuits from both sides.

Mayfield, you may remember, was suspended May 10 after testing positive for a banned substance during a random screening the prior weekend in Richmond. Since then, Mayfield has launched a public relations campaign in an effort to get reinstated. If the latest news is true, then it becomes crystal clear why Mayfield got in trouble in the first place.

Report: Meth Triggered Mayfield Ban originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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